It took years for Dickey to convince himself and those around him that he was worthy of respect — both on and off the field — and that his unpredictable pitch could be trusted against big-league batters.

That was Dickey’s “quest” — how he describes his search “for truth, authenticity and the perfect knuckleball” in his book’s subtitle.

A failed prospect and journeyman minor-leaguer — to say nothing of the personal demons with which he fought — Dickey, 38, was hanging on to his career literally by his fingernails when he turned to the “ugly stepchild” of pitches in order to resurrect his moribund baseball life.

“You become a knuckleballer when you hit a dead end,” he wrote.

Last season was the culmination of his incredible comeback, the climax of his quest, as he found himself on top of Mt. Kilimanjaro, the New York Times’ bestseller list and, when the season was through, the National League’s Cy Young ballot — a trifecta of personal and professional victories.

On Tuesday Dickey begins a new chapter with the Blue Jays, taking the mound for his first career Opening Day start aiming toward his first post-season berth.

But now that he has achieved not only the legitimacy for which he had so long strived, but success he could have hardly imagined, what now? For what is he still searching?

“For me it’s about consistency now,” Dickey said after a workout earlier this spring in Dunedin, Fla. “That’s both as a human being and as a baseball player. I don’t need to try to be better; I just need to be able to repeat on the field. If I can do that then it should be a good year from a career standpoint. And off the field, if I can continue to use the equipment I’ve been given it should be a fruitful life. I think that’s the mantra for me now: consistency. How can I consistently be authentic, both as a baseball player and as a human being.”

Authenticity is one of Dickey’s preferred buzzwords. Just like his pitch, he has long been doubted and he is determined to prove that neither are flukes. The success he achieved last year won’t hinder his motivation, he says.

“The thing that drives me is what I hope continues to drive me for the rest of my life and that’s to be just completely immersed in reducing everything to a moment-by-moment life. How can I get the most out of every moment, regardless of whether it’s with you right now or it’s talking to one of my teammates on the field, or if it’s executing a pitch. How can I do that? The challenge of that brings me back all the time. And that never gets old.”

Dickey’s career trajectory has mirrored that of his erratic pitch. Up, down and around, unsure of when or where it will move next. Toronto is the 13th stop in Dickey’s professional baseball odyssey, which by he and his wife’s estimate has included 38 household moves in 16 years. He signed 14 one-year, non-guaranteed contracts and pitched more than 1,200 minor-league innings before finally inking his first big-league deal with the New York Mets in 2010.

After he signed a two-year $25 million extension to stay in Toronto through 2015 — a condition of his December trade from the Mets — Dickey admitted he was “all in” as soon as Jays’ GM Alex Anthopoulos put forth his vision of the revamped Jays as immediate contenders.

Pitching in the post-season is one of the few unchecked boxes on Dickey’s baseball bucket list. But don’t expect Dickey to make any chest-thumping guarantees or bold pronouncements of what his future in Toronto might hold.

“I’m open to whatever the next chapter’s going to be,” he said. “I think that’s important for me personally and my maturity, just being OK with what’s next. Is it another Cy Young? Maybe. Is it a World Series? Maybe. I hope so on both accounts. But it could also be something else and I need to be OK with that.”

Whatever happens, Dickey says he’s focused on living moment to moment while approaching each of his starts as “120 separate commitments.”

On Tuesday, Jays’ fans will be hanging on every one.

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